Desk-lamp.



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(Application med Feb. 14.` 1902.1

(No Model.)

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UNITED. STATES ALAN n. EEReUsso'N,

PATENT OFFICE.`

oF NEW YORK, N. Y.

DES K-LAM P.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 711,622, dated October 21, 1902. Application ma february 14,1902. serial No'. 94.000. oa model.)

To a/ZZ whom/ it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALAN RfFERGUssoN, a citizen of the' United States, residing in New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Desk-Lamps, of which the following is a specification.

yThis invention relates, primarily, to the mounting of flexible staffs for supporting-incandescent lamps, dro., upon office-desks.

Heretofore iiexible staffs for incandescent.

lamps have been mounted upon portable stands; but these are not well adapted for desk use, since they are in the way and liable to be tipped over, and if the desk is of the roll-top variety the stand must be removed from the desk before the latter can be closed. To avoid this objection, the portable stand is sometimes placed upon the top of the desk; but this necessitates considerable flexure of the sta in orderv to enablethe lamp to dip to a point level with or below its stand to bring the lamp to a position for use. Moreover, in order to enable this adjustment the staff or arm must be made of great length. On account of its stiffness the staff is difficult to adjust, necessitating the use of one hand to steady the base While the other hand exes the staff. It is necessary to use great care not to endanger the lamp-bulb. In bending the staff it is liable to be set too far away from the base or to be given too much overhang, so that it overbalances and the device is upset, sometimes breaking the bulb. Moreover, the weight of the flexible staff, which is usually made of two plies of heavy wire, is objectionable, particularly because it is necessary to make the base of extra Weight, so as to avoid the liability of the lamp being top.- heavy. Again, it is sometimes found that when the lamp is setupon the top of the desk and the staff is bent down the material of the staif is sometimes bent too a very short and hence inexpensive stad,

avoiding necessity of lifting an eXtra heavy ystand about, and leaving the' desk clear for constant use. The stai-is readily bent up to a position of disuse or down to a position of use,and certain other advantages are secured, `as Will hereinafter appear.

I prefer to attach a short eXible lamp-staff to an adjustable desk-clampof the Vclass set -forth in United States Letters Patents granted .to me, No. 683,455, and to R. W. Pittman, No.

67 0,904, and in mypending application, filed December 19, 1901, Serial No. 86,486, and in connection with such desk-clamps I have devised' certain improvements, all as will be hereinafter; fully setV forth, and particularly pointed vout in the concluding claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view of one form of my invention, showing the same in position upon a desk-top. Fig. 2 shows a blank from which is struck up a part of the `base of a desk-clamp. Figf shows details of a hollow ball-and-socket lamp-stem. Fig. iis a perspective of the front portion of my improved ydesk-clamp. 'Fig..5 is an obverse view of a roughened washer. Fig.v6 is a perspective of a vertically-adjustable claw forming part ofthe desk-clamp.

In the several views portions are broken away or omitted for the sake of clear illustration, and similar parts are designated by similar characters of reference. l

I make a telescopic desk-clamp, comprising an outer forward tube 1 and an inner rear tube 2, thev latter havinga crook or claw 3 at its outer end adapted to hook over the rear edge i of a desk-top. The tube 1 is secured to a base-plate 5, being passed through a perforated ear 6, turned up at the rear side of saidplate and abutting against'an opposite ear or tongue '7, which is turned up at the forward part of the said plate and also being preferably soldered to thebase between said ears.

The sides of the ear or tongue 7 are folded around toform opposite lips 8 for confining the shank 9 of a depending-claw 10, which is adapted to catch under'the forward edge 11 `of the desk, as at Fig. `1, said claw being verticallyjadjustable upon'its seat so as to adapt it for use upon different thicknesses or kinds ofdesk-tops and enable it to clear the rolling lid 12 of the desk. Through a vertical slot 13, formed in said shank, is inserted a long screw 14, which is threaded intoa nut or bushing 15, provided upon the inner or forward end of the rear telescoping tube or rod 2, whereby the latter is drawn into the former, so as to bind the clamp upon the desktop, said screw also serving to hold the claw 10 in its vertical adjustment. In order to prevent the claw from working loose, its front face may be corrugated or otherwise roughened, as at 16, and a corrugated or roughened washer 17 may be inserted between the clawshank and the head of the screw, the corrugations of the washer working into those of the clamp-shank, so that the latter cannot move independently of the former, and hence is held where set, vertical movement of the washer being prevented by the shank of the screw 14, which ts a perforation 18 in the washer. The ear or vertical plate 7 receives the thrust of the head ofthe screw 14, thereby relieving the tube 1, so that the latter has only to guide the inner rod 2 and is not subjected to such tension as would loosen it from the plate 5. Preferably I Widen the front claw, as at 10a, so as to steady the entire device upon the desk and avoid the liability ofv the same being wrenched loose when the lampstalf is being iexed.

To the base-plate 5 I attach a bracket, which may be struck up from sheet metal in the form of a sloping plate 19, supported upon opposite legs 20, which are bent outwardly to form feet 2l, the latter being secured. by a pair of screws 22 to said plate 5, and the legs 2O standing one upon each side of the forward end of the tube l. In said inclined plane 19 I form a threaded hole 23, into which I screw a nipple 24, projecting from a thimble 25, provided upon the innerend ot' a flexible staff 26, the latter being preferably secured by a nut 27 and the nipple or base portion of the staff projecting at an inclination, preferably of forty-five or more degrees from the perpendicular.

Into a thimble or ferrule 28 provided upon the forward end of the flexible sta 26 I insert a tapered stem 29, having a socket-'head 30, confining a ball 3l, having a threaded nipple 32, adapted to screw into the head 33 of an incandescent lamp 34. Said stem 29 may be split longitudinally, as at 35, the split extending through the head 30, so that the stem may be compressed as it is forced into the thimble 28, thereby wedging the stem in the thimble and also causing the parts of the divided head to bite the ball, so as to maintain the lamp 34 in any positions to which it is adjusted upon the ball-and-socket connection at 3l. Electrical connections 34 maybe carried through the nipple 24, ferrule 25, staff' 2o', thimble 28, stem 29, ball 30, and nipple 32 (all of said parts being hollow) into the head of the electric lamp and there connected in the usual manner.

Thus it will be seen that the lamp may be instantly and easily turned up out of use o1* down into use and brought to any desired position within the range of the staif 26 without disturbing the electrical connection; that the lamp in no wise interferes with Working upon the desk nor placing books or papers thereon; that it is not necessary to lift the lamp oif from the desk when it is desired to close the latter; that it may be brought to any desired position by the use of only one hand and without liability of breaking the glass bulb; that the staff 26 may be made very short, and hence inexpensive, Without unduly limiting its range of action, which is not possible in the usual flexible staff-lamps; that no danger of upsetting the lamp is possible from bending the staff too far over, because said stad is fixed directly to the desk; that the labor of lifting about the excessively-heavy flexible sta-lamps from time to time is avoided; that owing principally to the reduction in the length of the staff which is enabled by my invention the danger of setting or weakening the latter at its base portion is minimized, and even if the staff" should become weakened it is still of ample strength to sustain the lamp even when the staff is projected to a substantially horizontal position, because of the shortness of the staff, whereby the stress put upon the base portion thereof is greatly reduced.

Certain improvements herein claimed are also adapted to other than flexible stads.

In my said pending application Serial N o. 86,486 are claimed certain features shown herein.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of my invention, and portions of my improvements may be used without others.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination with a flexible stadl for carrying an electrical translating device, of a desk-clamp having a base-plate, a bracket attached thereto provided with an inclined plate, a hole in said inclined plate and a nipple of the carrying-staff secured in said hole.

2. The combination with a flexible sta for carrying an electrical translatingdevice, of a desk-clamp comprising telescopic members, a claw upon one member, a plate to which another member is attached, staE-supporting means upon said plate, a claw having a shank and means upon said plate for adjustably supporting said shank.

3. The combination with a flexible staif for carrying an electrical translating device, of rear and forward telescopic members, of a claw upon the rear member, of a plate to which the forward member is attached, of a bracket fixed upon said plate, of staff-supporting means upon said bracket, of an up turned tongue upon the front of said plate, of a claw adjustable along said tongue, and of a screw passing through said claw and said ongue and engaging the rear telescopic mem- 4. The combination with a flexible staff for TOO IIO

5. The combination With a flexible staff, of an electric tran'slating device carried by the x5 carrying an electric translating device, ofa desk-clamp comprising rear and forward telescopic members, an integral claw upon the rear member, a base-plate to which the forward member is attached, a bracket upon said base-plate consisting of an inclined plate, provided With a perforation therein and supports therefor, an upturned tongue upon the front of said plate, inwardlybent lips upon the sides of said tongue, a claw having a slotted shank confined by said lips, and a screw extending through the slot in said shank and' engaging the rear telescopic member.

Vwith a perforation, said flexible shaft being zo firmly secured in said perforation.

ALANA R. FEReUssoN.

Witnesses:

B. C. STICKNEY, FRED. J. DOLE. 

